1. Smartphones. These small devices are the perfect storm of bacterial growth. We touch them all throughout the day, we rarely clean them (and when we do, not satisfactorily), and they’re always in our pockets where it’s warm, dark, and moist.

On one particularly dirty tablet, we found a swab count of 600 units per swab for Staphylococcus aureus, which can cause a severe stomach bug.

To put this figure in context, the Health Protection Agency classes any count of between 20 and 10,000 units for Staphylococcus aureus as a potential risk. By comparison, a typical toilet seat we tested had a Staphylococcus count of less than 20 units.

2. Keyboards and mice. While keyboards and mice aren’t anywhere near as dirty as smartphones, they’re still extremely dirty. The weird thing is that we’ve all heard this before, but how many of us regularly wipe ours down with cleaning solution? Not enough, that’s for sure.

The device does not specifically detect germs, although dirty surfaces do provide a breeding ground for bacteria. Overall, the study got “could-be-cleaner” readings of over 100 on … 69% of keyboards … and 51% of computer mice.

3. Workstation desktops. How often do you clean your office desk? Not in the “get rid of clutter” sense, but “spray and wipe” sense. Most people barely even disinfect their home workstations once or twice a year. Office workstations? Usually never.

According to a 2001 study by the University of Arizona, the average desktop has over 400 times the bacteria of an average toilet seat. On top of that, the area where you rest your hand harbors more than 10 million germs.

Never get a glass desk it was an awful decision for my last place. Mouse movements didnt pick up and it was super easy to get dirty.

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Susan

November 11, 2015 at 10:20 pm

I have seen keyboards like the one in the picture above. I have used other people's keyboards that when you turn them upside down, half a grocery store falls out. Also sticky mice, ugh. I use sani wipes on mine at home regularly and I'm usually the only one touching it. I do try to keep my smartphone clean as well, but I usually find some kind of grunge around the edges. That's the stuff you can see, I can imagine the invisible critters, egad!

I work in an office with about 50 people. We use the same toilet, microwave and vending machine. I didn't realize how dirty these places could be. Usually, there is a cleaning lady that comes one a week to clean the workstations, but now I realize that it's not enough. I will offer my managers to change this and to be on a daily basis, because health should be our top priority!

When it comes to the workplace, the air that the workers breathe in an office contains much more bacteria than a toilet seat. Desktop, keyboard, phone you can scrub and disinfect. There isn't much you can do about the air.

My take: keep your workplace reasonably clean and tidy so people won't see you as an out-of-control slob (and all that implies). As for bacteria, don't even worry. Unless your immune system is already severely compromised, routine exposure everyday won't kill you - and what doesn't kill you will make you stronger!

Many who fuss over routine bacteria exposure actually end up weak and allergy-proned.